Roman Republic, Denarius

The identity of the lady depicted on the obverse of this Roman denarius from the year 61 BC is unknown. Neither an inscription nor an attribute identifies her.

The equestrian sculpture on the reverse, on the other hand, commemorates an ancestor of the issuer of this coin, Aemilius Lepidus. The ancestor, who had also been called Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, had become legendary for killing an enemy and therewith saving the live of a Roman citizen at the age of only fifteen. This is indicated by the inscription M. LEPIDVS AN XV PR HOCS (Marcus Lepidus, annorum quindecim populi Romani hostem occidit civem servavit).

In 61 BC the moneyer of our coin, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, was at the very beginning of his cursus honorum. Fifteen years later he would reach the height of his career when he became consul together with Julius Caesar. Later he became Ponifex Maximus, and in 43 BC he formed the Second Triumvirate together with Octavian (the later Emperor Augustus) and Mark Antony.